WHO South-East Asia Region commits to further enhance efforts to end TB, adopt Gandhinagar Declaration

Source: The post is based on the article “WHO South-East Asia Region commits to further enhance efforts to end TB, adopt Gandhinagar Declaration”  published in DD News on 19th August 2023

What is the News?

The WHO South-East Asia Region has committed to further accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis by 2030 with member countries adopting the Gandhinagar Declaration. 

What is the Gandhinagar Declaration?

The Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted by the WHO South-East Asia Region member countries at the meeting held to follow up on the progress made to end Tuberculosis(TB) in the region.

The declaration calls for the establishment of high-level multisectoral commissions in each country to coordinate efforts and monitor progress toward ending TB and other diseases. These commissions can also strengthen health systems and universal health coverage.

It also emphasizes the use of science and technology to provide equitable TB services accessible to everyone, regardless of social, cultural, or demographic differences. 

It underscores the need for resources to meet TB coverage goals and address underlying social factors.

The declaration also urges WHO to continue prioritizing TB and providing leadership and technical assistance for sustained progress.

About TB Cases in WHO South-East Asia (SEA) Region:

The WHO South-East Asia Region has 11 Member States – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste. 

This region is home to 26% of the world’s population.But about 43% of all TB cases in the world are in this region (according to the WHO Global TB Report 2021). 

In 2020, around 4.3 million people got sick with TB and about 700,000 died because of it.This is more than half of all the TB deaths globally, which were about 1.3 million in that year. 

TB deaths have been increasing for more than ten years and are now close to what they were in 2015.